My 090909 Day

Day to day life has it's regular rhythm and pace. Okay, that's a nice
way of saying that life can be one big routine. But routines are good,
they provide us with some semblance of order. However, every once
in awhile, doing something different can do one some good.

Yesterday was 090909. It was an auspicious date for some. Fo me, it
was a chance to check off something from the 101 Things to Do in
1001 Days List. 090909 was a chance for me to look for something
extraordinary from an otherwise ordinary day.

The day started where the previous day ended. H decided to work until
really late. At around 1:45am, H decided it was time to hit the sack.
Oh man, I had to get up as I was "resting". I had to do my night routine
as I was too lazy to have brushed my teeth earlier. Then I noticed that
the toilet did not want to flush; no problem, it just needed a minor fix.
And then, our roof started to leak from the heavy rain; no problem,
nothing paper towels couldnt fix. So before you know, it was 2:45am.
Okay, this day was not turning out the way I was expecting it to.

H and I were celebrating a birthday so we decided to take the day off.
We were supposed to just pass by the office. "Passing by" rarely or
never happens. So, I was not surprised to find ourselves there until
lunch time. For lunch, we decided to try the new Jollibee Chicken
Barbeque. Not bad. I have to hand it to Jollibee, they're R&D is pretty
good.

Tsk tsk tsk, half of the day had already gone by. We decided to spend
the rest of the day doing what needed to get done. Unfortunately, my
doctor did not pass by the clinic. H, on the other hand, couldn't have
his haircut as the guy had his day off. So, H worked on his paper. I
then decided to just kill the next few hours searching for a new baby
book. Before you know it, it was 6pm and we were off to mass.

Our day ended with a nice dinner at Crustasia. Boohoo, I forgot my
camera. We had Tom Yum Soup, Shrimp Pancakes, Singaporean
Chili Crab (Wow! Was that crab huge!) and Pad Thai (complimentary).
Yum yum.

As a whole, I'd say nothing extraordinary really happened in 090909.
But as a whole, it was a good day. H and I are in great shape. Sure, we
have our fair share of joys and "challenges/opportunities". But at the
end of the day, I'm glad everything is under His control.

Things to do this September

Today is September 1, 2009. In the Philippines, the start of the
"BER" months used to signify the start of the Christmas Season.
However, due to more financially difficult times, the Christmas
Season now starts at around November or December; depending
on whether it's a good year or a bad year.

Last year, I started preparing for Christmas as early as September.
It was our first Christmas as a couple. Suddenly, I had to learn
how to shop for 2! Of course, I had to make a "career" out of it!

As serendipity would have it, the 2008 Ramadan Season started
on the 1st of September. It was a Legal Holiday and I decided to
grab the chance to check out department stores in Makati.

I can still vividly remember the Christmas displays at Rustan's!
The Christmas decors just lifted my spirits and put me in a
holiday mood.

In the end, I made the right decision as I was on bed rest the
entire month of December. By that time, I was already done
with my shopping and was not stressed out over Christmas
preparations.

Here are a few things I picked up from last year's experience.
Spoiler Warning: this is not for those who enjoy the adrenaline
rush that comes when doing things last minute!

Things to do this September:

1) Start your "Spring Cleaning".

Spring Cleaning is not really a part of Philippine Culture. The
closest thing we have is the tradition of cleaning up the house
before Christmas and/or New Year's.

Starting this early will give you ample time to really assess your
home environment. Something you will not be able to properly
do if you start on December.

Do yourself a favor. Don't just do some cleaning. Go do some
clearing! If it doesn't work, doesn't fit, will never get used, etc
do dispose of it! If it is still in a decent condition, donate it to
family, friends or a charitable institution. Otherwise, throw
it away! Don't unnecessarily burden other people with your
junk!

2) Finalize your Christmas Shopping List.

Last year's Christmas Shopping was a breeze. It didn't feel as
"painful" as previous years. Firstly, my expenses were spread
out over a period of 3 - 4 months. Also, instead of buying things
at regular price, I was able to wait for sale events and bought
things at sale price.

I also had a "tea box" theme for a few relatives and friends. I
found a bazaar stall, with reasonable prices, to buy quite a
number of items from. This worked to my advantage as I was
able to bargain for wholesale prices.

3) Work on THAT SCRAPBOOK.

I have a few scrapbooks that I need to get done before the baby
comes. They're scrapbooks on stuff H and I did together. I'm
sure if I don't get these done within the year, these scrapbooks
will never see the light of day.

Each year has its own fair share of memories. You may want to
work on "documenting" this year's precious moments within
THE YEAR. Trust me, next year, you too will find yourself too
busy with other "more important" things to do. And do count
on next year to have its own share of adventures and
misadventures, wanting to be documented.

Let me know how things work out for you...

I hope these tips will help you experience the Holidays in a
a more enjoyable way!


I love lists... There have been so many that I can't
recall them all...

This is my ode to the humble list...

Outdated Tech Terms

Tsk, tsk, tsk... Sorry, that I haven't really had time to update the blog...

I found an interesting article in Yahoo on outdated tech terms... I wonder
how things will be in the next 10 years... Here are excerpts of the article:

"12 Words You Can Never Say in the Office
by Carolyn Duffy Marsan

We've put together a list of outdated tech terms, phrases that you shouldn't
be using at work anymore because they will make you seem old. This is especially true if you're looking for a new job.

1. Intranet

Today, every private network runs IP. So you can just use the term virtual
private network or VPN to describe a private IP-based network.

2. Extranet

Today, companies provide suppliers, resellers and other members of their
supply chain with access to their VPNs.

3. Web Surfing

When is the last time you heard someone talk about surfing the Web? You
know the term is out of date when your kids don't know what it means. To
teens and tweens, the Internet and the World Wide Web are one and the
same thing. So it's better to use the term "browsing" the Web if you want
to be understood.

4. Push Technology

Push technology evolved into RSS feeds, which remain the preferred
method for publishing information to subscribers of the Internet. RSS
stands for Really Simple Syndication.

5. Application Service Provider (ASP)

During this decade, the term "Application Service Provider" evolved into
"Software-as-a-Service." Both terms refer to a vendor hosting a software
application and providing access to it over the Web. Customers buy the
software on a subscription basis, rather than having to own and operate
it themselves. ASP was a hot term prior to the dot-com bust. Then it was
replaced by "SaaS." Now it's cool to talk about "cloud computing."

6. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

Today, the preferred generic term for a handheld like a Blackberry or an
iPhone is a "smartphone".

7. Internet Telephony

You need to purge the term "Internet telephony" from your vocabulary
and switch to VoIP, for Voice over IP. Even the term VoIP is getting
old-fashioned because pretty soon all telephone calls will be routed
over the Internet rather than the Public Switched Telephone Network.
It's probably time to stop referring to the PSTN, too, because it is
headed for the history books as all voice, data and video traffic is
carried on the Internet.

8. Weblog

A blog is a shortened version of "Weblog,"... It spawned many words still
in use such as "blogger" and "blogosphere." Nowadays, few people have
time to blog so they are "microblogging," which is another word that's
heading out the door as people turn Twitter into a generic term for
blasting out 140-character observations or opinions.

9. Thin Client

You have to give Larry Ellison credit for seeing many of the flaws in
the client/server computing architecture and for popularizing the term
"thin client" to refer to Oracle's alternative terminal-like approach.
In 1993, Ellison was touting thin clients as a way for large organizations
to improve network security and manageability. Although thin clients
never replaced PCs, the concept is similar to "virtual desktops" that
are gaining popularity today as a way of supporting mobile workers.

10. Rboc

In 1984, the U.S. government forced AT&T to split up into seven Regional
Bell Operating Companies [RBOCs] also known as Baby Bells. Customers
bought local service from RBOCs and long-distance service from carriers
such as AT&T. Telecom industry mergers over the last 15 years have formed
integrated local- and long-distance carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and
Qwest. This makes not only the term RBOC obsolete, but also the terms
ILEC for Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier [i.e., GTE] and CLEC for
Competitive Local Exchange Carrier [i.e., MFS].

11. Long-Distance Call

Thanks to flat-rate calling plans available from carriers for at least five
years, nobody needs to distinguish between local and long-distance calls
anymore. Similarly, you don't need to distinguish between terrestrial and
wireless calls because so many people use only wireless services. Like
pay phones, long-distance calls -- and their premium prices -- are relics
of a past without national and unlimited calling plans.

12. World Wide Web

Nobody talks about the "World Wide Web" anymore, or the "Information
Superhighway," for that matter... Nothing dates you more than pulling
out one of those old-fashioned ways of referring to the Internet such
as "infobahn" or "electronic highway.""

Remembering Cory Aquino

After a brave fight with cancer, Corazon C. Aquino, passed away
last August 1, 2009. Tita Cory, as she was fondly called, is known
as The Mother of Philippine Democracy. The multitude of Filipinos
who showed up in streets to participate in her funeral march is an
indicator of the great respect the Filipino people have for her.

"Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino (Jan 25, 1933 –
Aug 1,2009) was the 11th President of the Philippines and the
"Mother of Democracy", serving from 1986 to 1992. She was
the first female president of the Philippines and the first
female president of any country in Asia.

A self-proclaimed "plain housewife", Aquino was married to
Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., a leading figure in the political
opposition against the autocratic rule of President Ferdinand
Marcos. After her husband was assassinated upon his return
from exile in the United States on August 21, 1983, Aquino,
who had no prior political experience, became a focal point
and unifying force of the opposition against Marcos. She was
drafted to run against Marcos in the 1986 snap presidential
elections. After Marcos was proclaimed the winner despite
widespread reports of electoral fraud, Aquino was installed
as President by the peaceful 1986 People Power Revolution.

Aquino's presidency saw the restoration of democratic institutions
in the Philippines, through the enactment of a new Constitution
which limited the powers of the presidency, restored the bicameral
Congress, and renewed emphasis on civil liberties." - Wikipedia

Her achievement in Philippine and world politics made her
Time Magazine's Woman of the Year

Rest in peace Tita Cory!

The Tinkering School

I came across the The Tinkering School while browsing through TED.
I'm not sure if a similar concept is available here. I hope to either find
something similar or TRY to recreate the experience for our child someday.

Happy Viewing!